The Choice
by Ker-rin
Summary: Revised! The choice made by one of the membeers send the other animorphs to a yeerk-less world


The Choice   
  
The Choice by Ker-rin  
Prologue   
It had been a hard battle. The worse so far. They were trying to stop the yeerks from taking some kids on a "field trip" to the yeerk pool. It had been a failure to say the least. Jake had had to kill Tom because he was trying to kill Cassie with his Dracon Beam, and even worse Ax had died. It was all Jake's fault. He had sent Ax in to the yeerk pool as a distraction. They needed to have an andalite as a distraction. Tobias could have done this with his morph but of course Ax had volunteered. Ax who had always been so brave. Always so trusting that his "prince" would make the right choice. Jake almost screamed. He wasn't some great warrior he was just a kid! Where had his childhood gone? Where were his fun talks with Marco about stupid comics they were already too old to read? Where was his life!   
  
Rachel cried. Ax was dead and Jake might as well have been. He was going berserk by the end of the battle. He had to kill his own brother. Rachel whimpered a little for both her cousins. Everything was starting to set in. Ax was dead. A member of the animorphs was dead! She had always thought they were invincible. Except, of course, for poor Tobias, the love of her life. She lowered her head at the thought of Tobias alone in his hawk body sitting in some tree mourning for someone who had been his best friend, his uncle, his shorm. She was in hysterics. Brave Rachel was crying. Was this war worth it? She thought. All the sacrifices, were they worth it?   
  
JAKE. An all too familiar voice said. The ellimnist. Jake looked up. The ellimnist "looked" tired. He "looked" beaten and broken in his strange bluish human form.   
  
JAKE CRAYAK AND I HAVE MADE A DEAL BUT IT IS UP TO YOU TO EXCEPT IT. Great, Jake though, more responsibility. More opportunities for him to get someone killed.   
"What is it and will it help earth?"   
  
"How's my favorite animorph?" As Rachel sat straight up in shock, tears streaming down her face in a rare expression of emotion.   
"If it isn't the human, and I lose that term very loosely, prune." Rachel managed to say proudly even through her tears.   
"Crying are we? Hmmm maybe I should rethink this deal Crayak has no room for emotions on his team" Rachel's mouth hung open wondering what he meant.   
  
JAKE I OFFER YOU THE DEAL OF A LIFETIME, he said trying to sound enthusiastic if such a thing is possible for the ellimnist, but instead he came out like a man who had whipped for hours and brainwashed into saying these words.   
  
YOU CAN SAVE EARTH FROM THE YEERKS, MAKE IT SO THEY NEVER CAME HERE. ALL YOUR FRIENDS WILL STILL BE ALIVE EVEN TOBIAS THOUGH HE WILL BE THE SON OF A DIFFERENT FATHER YOU Friends WILL KEEP THEIR PERSONALLITIES THOUGH OTHER THAN THAT I CAN OFFER YOU NO GUARENTEES ONLY THAT THEY WILL NOT HAVE DIED.   
"This sounds great but… but where's the catch?" Jake asked. But deep down inside he knew.   
  
"Dear warrior Rachel my deal for you is great the yeerks will invade another galaxy and all you have to do is say that you will join the crayak."   
  
Rachel looked mad how dare he suggest such a thing! But was it such a crazy idea?   
  
JAKE THE SACRIFACE IS YOU. Jake sighed. He had seen this coming.   
JAKE YOU WILL HAVE NEVER EXSISTED. OTHER THAN THE PEOPLE LIVES THAT YOU MAY HAVE SLIGHTLY ALTERED EVERYTHING WILL BE ABOUT THE SAME AS IF THE YEERKS NEVER STOPPED BY EARTH. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS GIVE UP YOURSELF.   
  
"What about my friends what about their current mind, and lives?" Jake asked. Sadly the possibility of him accepting this was getting stronger and stronger. The question was could they win this fight with the yeerks without accepting this deal.   
  
YOUR FRIENDS CURRENT "ANIMORPH" MIND WILL BE IN A TINY CORNER OF THE "OTHER" VERSION. THEY WILL STILL THINK BUT WLL NOT BE ABLE TO CONTROL THERE NEW LIFE.   
  
"So there be like controllers with no free will! No! I can't let that happen to them! No!"   
JAKE! THEY WILL STILL EXIST THEY WILL STILL BREATHE. AX AND TOM WILL STILL BE ALIVE. YOU ARE BEING SELFISH. Jake shrunk back shocked. The ellimnist was mad. Angry with Jake for refusing such a deal. But he could refuse it. The question was should he?   
  
Rachel shook her head at the silly thought of excepting an offer from the slimy old drode.   
"Jake wouldn't want us to give up the fight." Rachel said firmly.   
"Is that so…"   
  
Jake nodded his head. The last thing he'd over do as he slowly disappeared.   
  
Chapter 1 Cassie the "normal"   
  
"Hey Rinny!" I shouted to my best friend we met about a year ago because she was new and she sat at my table. I've never had a ton of friends. Rinny's an animal lover like me. She lives by my barn. She's really similar to me except she has an evil sense of humor.   
"Hey how was your date with the big dumb jock?" She taunted.   
I grabbed her sailor hat playfully and then said firmly, "Don't make fun of Tom you know he's not another idiotic jock. He's… He's different from the others."   
"Oooo you're in love. How cute. And all this time I though you were dating Misty, the squirrel." She teased. Misty's are pet squirrel. My dad found him on the side of the road last year.   
  
" Speaking of love," I said about to make a rare joke, " Here comes Marcooooooo the love of your over-comedic life."   
"Shut up you know just shut up."   
  
Chapter 2 Marco the normal (Marco normal hmmm)   
  
"Hey Rinny!" I shouted. She's a pretty girl with black shiny hair and the palest skin I've ever seen. She looked great today in her unusually skimpy outfit. I couldn't help staring at her dreamily.   
  
" OW!" I was so busy staring I'd walked into a door.   
"Man, I already had a bruise there." I moaned.   
"A bruise?" Rinny asked as she went into one of her rare serious moments. "Where'd you get that bruise?"   
" My ex-girlfriend went psycho on me in science."   
" I don't like you're ex-girlfriends "on" you in any way shape or form." Rinny said smiling evilly. Cassie gave her a disgusted look.   
" What Ex-girlfriend was this?" Cassie asked cocking her eyebrow.   
" The one that thinks she that amazon warrior on TV. What that lady's name again?" I replied.   
"Xena?" Rinny asked.   
"Yeah that's the show. Well anyway in case you are all still confused the girl's name is Rachel." I said. They both made a face. I was shocked Cassie usually isn't too mean to people.   
  
"My parents always made me play with her when I was little but…" She blushed a little, "I was more interested in playing with Tom. She didn't like Tom because he was actually taller than she was so she ran off and Tom and me would play even though he was older than I was. If Tom was our age we probably would have been friends the 3 of us but Rachel was to snotty not to be in charge and since Tom kind of leader type…"   
  
"Cassie," Rinny and I said at the same time   
"Yeah"   
"Please shut the heck up."   
  
" Yeah well if this ex-girlfriend of yours shows up I kick her butt." Rinny said and as if on cue Rachel and her best friend Melissa walked by and snorted at Marco.   
Rinny ran up to the two girls she must have not known because she pushed Rachel and Melissa.   
"You gonna hurt my boyfriend well then I'm gonna hurt you." She said trying to sound tough though she's usually a pretty sweet (and can be disgusting depending on your taste in humor) she was mad as heck today though.   
  
"Get away from my girlfriend." Cried a boy with normally kind dreamy eyes. But right now those eyes were filled with rage.   
  
Chapter 3 Tobias the normal   
  
"Stop pushing my girlfriend." I yelled at a girl I hardly know.   
"Tell her to leave my boyfriend alone." She yelled hugging this overly sarcastic guy named Marco protectively. I must have look pretty confused though because her friend had an eyebrow raised.   
  
You see I was confused because I know Melissa would hurt a fly. Then I realized she had been pushing Rachel who's this snotty girl I used to like when I was younger. She by reason I'll never know was Melissa's best friend.   
  
"Rach!" I yelled at my friend/enemy (it all depends on her mood), "Have you been beating up Marco again! I know you regret going out with the scum but really! Come on Melissa I told you Rachel's bad news." I shook my head and the pms-ed girl who I used to worship shook my head and placed my arm protectively around Melissa.   
  
I stared hard at this sweet girl named Cassie. I wished Melissa would hang out with her. "Keep your friend from attacking my friends. Yeah and Rachel too." I whispered to Cassie sounding just a bit annoyed.   
  
Chapter 4 Rachel the normal   
" I heard that." I yelled at Tobias who was making fun of me with a girl named Cassie. How could Melissa like such scum! You know I could like the guy but ever since he and Melissa have been dating he treats me like scum. He loves that Melissa though. I've got to give him credit for having good taste. I see why she likes him too. He can really sweet sometimes. Just not to me. Maybe someday… well first I have to break his hand for making fun of me.   
  
I was about to attack when I saw T.T. Well I could have him see me trying to kill Tobias. You see T.T always really like me so one day a little while after I broke up with that annoying jerk Marco I said yes to T.T invitation for dinner. I fell hard for him and we're been a "couple" for about a year.   
  
Sure I admit T.T can be a little egotistical but that's why I learned how to crush a person's finger without breaking it. Still all jokes aside I love the guy. Not LOVE, love but love as in being around him makes my heart leap. Okay maybe love love. Next to him Tobias looks like some idiotic boy with a brain that would be to little for a bird to eat (authors note: desperate attempt at a hawk pun. Think, "She eats like a bird" you know the phrase they use when you eat half a piece of salad for dinner).   
  
"T.T this girl tried to kill me and Melissa!" I heard him groan.   
"Oh man Rachel what did you do?" He said with a grim look on his face.   
"Nothing T.T I swear."   
"O so Tobias stepped in huh." I grab him a dirty look he knows me way to well.   
  
Chapter 5 Cassie the animorph   
  
Where was I? And further more where was Jake? Tom, how could I go out with Tom. Tom as in Jake's older brother Tom. And why didn't I like Rachel. Who was this Rinny person? And why did Rachel and Rinny both go out with Marco at one time or another?   
  
I couldn't move. I couldn't talk. It was like I watching a movie of the way my life would have been… if the yeerks had never come. Still even if the yeerks hadn't come wouldn't Jake still be here. Was this some weird dream? Had I bumped my head? What was doing right before I came into this alternate world? Horseback riding. Trying to get bad thoughts about Ax being dead out of my head. My head! That was it I must have hit my head! This was just a dream! Or was it? Everything was in such detail. It was beyond what my small imagination could come up with.   
  
Tom, I was dating Tom. So why did "I" say Rachel didn't have any cousins our age?   
"Nooooooooooo!" I yelled to no one. Jake wasn't here. How could this happen? Crayak or the ellimnist was messing with the world again. I saw instantly what had happened. They had offered him a chance to save the world and he had accepted it. Why! We could have won this war. I mentally shook her head, no longer aware of what my "other" self was doing. Sadly I would have sacrificed millions just so Jake could stay alive. I didn't care. Dear lord help me I didn't care.   
  
I thought sadly of our last conversation. He had given me his picture. He told me that if he ever died like Ax had that he would like me to always remember him. So we exchanged pictures so we would never forget each other. If I could control my body I would have cried.   
  
Chapter 6 Marco the animorph   
  
Upon coming into this new dimension my first thought was "Cool I have a girlfriend." My second was, "Rachel's my ex-girlfriend. Huh?" My third was "Cassie hates Rachel and Tobias goes out with Melissa? Huh?" My fourth was "where are the yeerks and where is Jake?" Then finally my 5th was "Why can't I control my own body?"   
  
I examined this Rinny girl. Luckily "I" was looking at her anyway. As a matter of fact "I seemed obsessed with her. "I" was in love with her.   
  
The girl I decided was actually gorgeous. And she had a sense of humor that could rival mine. But I was worried. My best friend wasn't part of this reality and Cassie was going out with Tom? Where was Jake?   
Where were the yeerks? If Cassie was dating Tom than that meant he probably wasn't a controller. I was confused to say the least. Then it hit me Cassie had said Rachel didn't have any cousins our age. As in tom was an only child. As in Jake was never born. My best friend the people who had been with me through thick and thin had never existed!   
  
Chapter 7 Tobias the animorph   
  
I was human! But where was I? Was this the world created by visser 4? If I like Melissa it quite possibly could but wait Rachel was still here. It didn't make sense. Was this a dream?   
"I love Rachel not Melissa!" I yelled inside my own mind.   
  
Rachel the Animorph   
T.T! I liked T.T. T.T who had called me a very, Um impolite word. Ew!   
  
Tobias the normal   
"Melissa you are so beautiful. You do know that right." I said as she nuzzled her way into my arms. It was a crowed lunchroom but it was like we were the only ones there. I leaned in. We had never been to physical don't get the wrong idea I'm talking about kissing not anything else but today I just felt the need to kiss her. Right here in the middle of school. But some little deep in side me who called itself animorph told me that it was not Melissa I loved but Rachel.   
  
Rachel the normal   
I was reaching in to hug affectionately T.T but something told me not to. I pulled away from T.T's warm embrace. Something weird was happening. But what?   
  
Chapter 8   
Cassie (both)   
  
"Hello I am Cassie the animorph," Said my brain.   
"Huh?"   
"Do you know Jake?"   
"Who?" I said followed by "me" saying some words I didn't know "I" knew.   
  
"Go horse back riding." The voice told me.   
"Okay." I climbed onto my favorite mare.   
"Go fast!" the voice screamed several times. I started to panic. I was losing control of the reins.   
Cassie the animorph   
It was evil. I was leading myself to my doom. If horseback riding was how I got here then it was my ticket out. She lost control. We crashed.   
  
2 hours later   
"Cassie." yelled a booming voice. My head pounded I was in great pain.   
"She's okay."   
"Should we still take her to the hospital?" I heard one of them say. My parents I realized I was in bed. I turned my head to look at the picture of the love of my life. And saw Tom.   
  
  
  
Authors note:   
Well I snuffed out Jake huh. Weird twist on things huh. I swear the irony gods wrote this story. Was it god please help me out. My writing is beyond rusty. I haven't written a story in a year. But this story isn't bad for me considering I wrote it all in one day. It's got roughly 3,000 words, which is pretty good for a story I wrote in one day. Sorry if I messed with the romances a bit. And even sorrier if it came out stupid and corny and tedious and chiche and and and and…. Wow this author's note has a hundred words so far (is playing with the word count. I want to get this story to exactly 3,000 pages so that means a really long note. So did you like all my creepy ways of getting people to date each other? Were my explanations too vague? Was there bad grammar (to late at night for spell check) 72 words till the big 3,000. So did I mess of anyone's personality? Was Rinny a frightening character? She's based loosely on me so don't insult her. 55 more words to go. So please review this story it's my pride and joy *cough * cough*. I hope to someday write enough to be considered a V.I.W but till then my writing stinks. If you disagree or don't please review my story. 11 words to go. So here is word number 3,000! Yea!   
  



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